Side-curtain confiner for vehicles



G. R. SHEPHERD.

SIDE CURTAIN CONFINER FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION'HLED Nov. 30, 1920.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

are

GEORGE E. szenrnnnn, or BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, -GEORGE R. SHEPHERD,

' a citizen'of the United States, residing at niobilebody having doors ,13, anda top:

Brookline, in the county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Side-Curtam Confiners for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

Thls invention relates to an automobile or other vehicle body, having a top or hood, the top including a side curtain, a lower corner portion of which is separably connected with a. fastener member on the body. In many vehicles a vertical edge portion of said curtain, above said corner portion, is'more or less in the path of persons leaving the vehicle, and is consequently llable to be pressed outward, so that outward strain is exerted on the corner'enga'ged by the fastener member on the body. Sald fastener member has heretofore been rigidly attached to the body and incapable of yielding to outward strain exerted on the curtain, so

that such strainv is. liable'to break or tear the curtain at the point where it is engaged by the fastener member.

My invention has for its' object to obvlate this liability and enable'the curtain cornerengaging fastener member to yieldto outward strain exerted on the curtain, and thus prevent injury to the curtain by such strain.

The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to .describe and claim. I v

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side view, showing an automobile body and a top, including two side curtains, portions of which are yieldingly secured by means embodying the invention. Figure 2 is an enlargement of a portlon of Figure 1. g V

Figure 3 is a section on llne 3-8 of Figure 2. V o

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing a different arrangement of parts.

Figure 5 is a side view, showing a different embodiment ofthe invention, and por- 'tions of the body and of a curtain, the 50 latter being shown by dotted lines.I

Figure 6 is a section one line 66 of Figure 5. 'The same reference characters 7 indicate the same parts in all of the figures. In'the drawings, 12 represents an autoknown construction,

by the curtains.

this liability,

Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedFeb, 21,1922, lication filed momma, 1920. serial mama.

which includes side curtains 14,14 {and 15,

the body and'top h'ereshown being of well and the curtains being detachably secured to the body of any suit: able separable fasteners, including members .carriedby. the body, and members carried The members carried'by" the bodyare usually stud members, and l those carried by the: curtains are usually socket members, adapted 'to receive and separably. engage the stud members.

The forward vertical edges ofthe curtains .14 are usually in 'alinement with the r r vertical edges of the doorways, therelative arrangement of the curtains and doorways being such that'the forward'vertical edges- 5 of the curtains 14 are to some extent in the path of a passenger leaving the vehicle, so that the passenger is liable, in leaving the vehlcle, to pressoutward against the forward edge portion of acurtain l. The" straln caused by' this, pressureis resisted 'at' i the lower forward cornerof the curtain by thev fastener member on the body engaged with sand corner, sot-that, when said fastener member 1s rigidly attached to the body as usual, the curtain is liable to be tornat its lower forward corner portionJ'To prevent I provldea resilient connection between the body and the fastener member thereon which engages the lower front I cornerof the curtain, said'connection nor mally holding the said fastenenmember, and the curtain corner engaged thereby, in a predetermined position-close to the body,

and permitting ,the fastener member and the curtain corner to. yield outwardly :to

strain exerted on; the forward portion of the curtain by a person leaving thei vehicle. In illustrating the invention 'I show only the said yieldingly connected fastener members. It will be understood thatcother 'portions of thecurtains are detachab-lysecured,

as'usual, byfastener members rigidly at tached to, the body, and engaging complemental fastener members on the-curtainsjso that the curtains are detachable from the top and body.

. V 1 In each of the figures of theidrawings, 17 designates'a fastener member carried b the body and connected therewith by lGSlIIlGIlt means, inaccordance with my invention.

'Saidmember, as here shown, is-a stud mem ber, adapted to separably' engage asocket' 11o .member'18 o the lower. front c rner p rtion ofa curtain 14, I I, i i

the guide 21. vehicle presses against the forwa-rd'edge por- In the embodiment of the inventionshown gag'ed with the shank 2 1, and a looped arm.

by Figures 2 and 3, I provide the means next described for connecting the member 17 with the body. 19 represents a holoer formed as a tube and rigidly secured to the body by being inserted in a socket formed in the body. Said holder has an abutment 20 and a guide 2]., at its upper end. A helical spring 22 is seated at one end on said abutment, its opposite end being tree and The member 17 is provided'with a shank 2a, andwith a CQI11 16CtlOl1 OI' tether'25, attached to the shank and to the cap 23, and passing through When a' person leaving the tion of the curtain engaged with the member 17, said curtain "portion and member yield,

or are displaced outward from the body,as

.shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, the spring '22 being. at the same time compressed. lVhen pressure is removedfrom' the curtain, the spring expandsand draws the member 25 minednormal position shown by full lines.

17' and the curtain back totheir predeter- Each embodiment of the invention constitutes-a curtain confiner adapted to detach-,

ably connect a side curtain with a fixed portion of a vehicle, and to yieldingly restrain the curtain'in its operative relatlon to said 'ortion so that the curtain mav ield to dis- "placing pressure from within the'vehicle.

In each embodiment there is an anchoring means, such as that provided by the holder 19 or 19a (Figures 3 and 4), or by the clamping plates 31 and 32 and screw 33, (Figures 5 and 6). In each embodiment there is a spring take-'upconnection between thean-V mined distance from the anchoring means,. andis permitted to be abnormally separated from the latter. V

The structure shown by Q g s aand 8 is preferred, when the c'onfiner of my in vention isappliedto the body while the lat ter is in process or construction.

Figurei'shows a similar structure, adapt- .ed for'application'to a vehicle already in use, the tubular guide 19a being provided with cars 26, bearing on the exterior of the body 12, and attached thereto by screws 27, theoperation being the same as that of the structure first described.

.- In Figures 5 and'fi I show as the resilient portion of the connecting means, a. length of'resilient wire bent to form helical spring portions 28;"a looped arm 29 connecting the outer ends or" the spring portions'and en- 30 connecting the opposite ends of the spring portions. The holder portion 01" the connecting means includes annular clamping plates 31 and 82, between which the-looped arm 30 is interposed, and a screw 33secui ing said plates to the body 12.. The arm portion 29' and spring portions 28 permit the displacement of the member 17 and the curtain portion engaged therewith, and cause the return of said member and curtain portion to their normal position.

As implied in the foregoing description and in the following claims, ll am not ited to the specific mechanlsm of theembodi- "ments of my improvements shown" byfthe drawings, except as otherwise required 1n distance from the anchoring means,and'for permitting outward displacement or the {astener member. 7 i Y 2 A side curtain confiner for vehicles, comprising a fastener member engageable with a curtain, an anchoring member attachable to a portion of a vehicle and provided with a spring abutment and'with a guide, and a spring take-up connectionbetweenthe anchoring member and the fastener mernher said connection includin a sorin 'seated on said abutment, and a flexible. tether enga;,=;ed with the spring and with the' fastener member and passing a through said guide, the arrangement being such that the spring and tether normally hold the-tastener member at a predetermined minimum distance from the guide 'iortion 01" the anchoring member, and permitbutward displacement of the fastener member.

iik' side curtain confine r for vehicles,

comprising a-stud fastener member engageable with a socket fastener member on curtain, anchoringmeansattachableto a portion a vehicle, and spring take-up connection between the anchoring means and the stud member, said connection having means for normally hold ng the stud mem- "ber at a predetermined minimum distance from the anchoring ineans,and for permit ting outward displacement of the fastener;

member. I v v i. A vehicle body having a yielding curtain confiner, arranged to confine a portion of a side curtain beside a doorway, and comprising a fastenermember engageable with said curtain portion, anchoring, means :fixed to the body beside said doorway, and a spring take-up connection between the an- 5. In combination a vehicle body having choring means and the fastener member, a side curtain, and extensible means forde- 10 havin means whereby the said member is tachably fastening said curtain and retainnorma 1y maintained at a predetermined ing the same yieldin'gly toward said body.

5 location on the body, and is permitted to be In testimony whereof I have aflixed my abnormally separated from said location, by signature. outward pressure on the inner side of the curtain. GEORGE R. SHEPHERD. 

